Security guard jailed, fined $3M for ganja trafficking

A 64-year-old security guard was sentenced to four years in prison and fined $3 million on Monday after pleading guilty to a narcotics charge before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
Neville Roberts, a resident of New Amsterdam, Berbice, was charged with possession of four kilograms (kg) of marijuana on January 28, 2025, at Merriman’s Mall, Bourda, Georgetown.
He appeared before Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore, who read the narcotics trafficking charge to him. Upon hearing the allegations, Roberts entered a guilty plea. The Magistrate advised him that by doing so, he would forgo a trial and face a mandatory three-year prison sentence. Roberts acknowledged this before the court.

In his plea, Roberts expressed that he had been placed in a difficult situation, claiming he was driven to the act due to financial struggles.
During the proceedings, the prosecution detailed how law enforcement officers had approached Roberts at Merriman’s Mall and requested to conduct a search. He complied, and during the search, officers discovered a multi-colored shopping bag outside the building containing two bulky transparent parcels filled with leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be marijuana.
Upon his arrest, Roberts reportedly told police that he was in the process of transporting the parcels to a nearby club. He was subsequently taken to the Alberttown Police Station in Georgetown and formally charged.
The prosecution informed the court that one of the parcels had an estimated value of $1,230,000. Given the total weight of the narcotics found in his possession, Roberts was fined $3,690,000 in addition to his four-year prison sentence.
When questioned about any prior convictions, Roberts recalled being charged with damage to property in 2005.
Police also reported that another individual, identified as 51-year-old Gary Hartman, a bicycle repairman with no fixed address, was arrested alongside Roberts. Hartman remains in police custody as investigations continue.